Amid the fears of the omicron variant, the UK reported the death of one person infected with the variant of COVID-19, due to which there has been a rush to get the vaccine booster shots in the United Kingdom. This news leads more than half a million people to book their shots on Monday.
On Sunday, the United Kingdom had announced that booster shots would be made available to everyone above the age of 18 years. As people rushed to book their doses, the website of the National Health Service, UK’s public healthcare system, distorted for some time.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the death of one person infected with Omicron variant of coronavirus. However, it was not immediately clear whether the infection happened to be the cause of death or was related to it. The UK Health Security Agency has also confirmed that at least 10 patients infected with this variant have been hospitalized, according to Sky News.
Johnson said that the hospitalisations, and the death, were adequate warnings about the threat from this new variant.
“I think the idea that this (variant) is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think, that is something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population,” he was quoted by BBC as saying.
The UK confirmed over 1,200 new cases of Omicron variant on Sunday, the highest till now, reported the Sky News. The total number of confirmed cases of this variant now exceeds 3,000, the maximum in any country.
Meanwhile, following this, the Norway administration has tightened restrictions on the movement of people amid the record-high number of coronavirus infections in the last few days, powered by the spread of the Omicron variant.
“The situation is becoming increasingly serious. The number of detected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection is increasing rapidly, followed by an increase in hospital admissions,” the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said in its latest risk assessment on Monday.
“Hospitals, nursing homes, family doctors and out-of-hours clinics are under an ever-increasing strain as a result of more patients, increased sickness absence among healthcare personnel and lower access to temporary staff from abroad. The omicron variant is becoming established in Norway and will soon dominate. This will significantly increase transmission,” it said.
